Design Principles for Deployable Fibers Inspired by Hagfish Defense

Authors

Mohammad Tanver Hossain, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Wonsik Eom, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Pallab Layak, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jeongmin Kim, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Carolyn Darling, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Andrew Lowe, Chapman UniversityFollow
Douglas S. Fudge, Chapman UniversityFollow
Sameh H. Tawfick, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignFollow
Randy Ewoldt, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-7-2025

Abstract

Hagfish produce extraordinary slime as a defense mechanism, releasing exudate from glands that rapidly form a fibrous, soft, ultra-dilute, water-capturing network upon contact with seawater (up to 10 000 times its original volume). The gland thread cell (GTC) produces high-strength protein threads (filament diameter df = 1–3 µm) meticulously coiled into skeins (coil diameter Do ∼ 150 µm) that rapidly unravel upon deployment to reveal their hidden length (Lf = 15 cm), forming a cohesive fibrous slime network through interaction with mucin vesicles and seawater. To date, no engineered material is able to replicate the fiber uncoiling mechanics observed in slime, which are responsible for the unique set of mechanical properties that slime exhibits. Focusing on fundamental physical mechanisms rather than specific biochemistry or biomaterials, it is demonstrated that how existing materials and manufacturing processes can be used to achieve comparable functional performance. To engineer rapidly deployable soft materials inspired by hagfish slime, this work establishes design principles for synthetic skeins used to create the first-ever deployable synthetic skeins. Four design principles are revealed for engineering synthetic skeins: (1) the mechanics of high-strain fiber coiling and uncoiling, (2) adhesives to maintain elastic energy in non-equilibrium deformed states, (3) fluid-mediated deployment of coiled fibers, and (4) the individual fiber stiffness and size needed to result in a soft, deformable fibrous network. As proof of concept, the first successful fabrication of synthetic skeins with tightly coiled threads arranged in controlled packing geometries is demonstrated. These synthetic structures undergo fluid-mediated unraveling under flow, replicating the deployment behavior of their biological counterparts and demonstrating the feasibility of engineered, deployable fibrous networks.

Comments

This article was originally published in Advanced Science in 2025. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202512414

Recommended Citation

M. T. Hossain, W. Eom, P. Layak, et al. “Design Principles for Deployable Fibers Inspired by Hagfish Defense.” Adv. Sci. (2025): e12414. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202512414

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.